The heart of the case against Sheldon Silver was that he used his powerful position to exchange governmental favors for money, adding $4 million to his personal wealth. (Alec Tabak/for New York Daily News)

When former Assembly Speaker Silver was convicted of corruption on all counts, there was also a second conviction: Albany's way of conducting the public's business.

From the court proceedings' first days, it was clear that the state capital's ethics were also on trial.

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In fact, Silver's attorneys made that very argument: "It's impossible, absolutely impossible, for a member of the Assembly to do his or her job and to go out, make laws ... and not have some form of conflict of interest."

Now a jury has concluded that using the powers of a lawmaker's office for private gain is illegal.

The heart of the case against Silver was that he used his powerful position to exchange governmental favors for money, adding $4 million to his personal wealth.

The former Speaker is not the first, nor will he be the last, to face these charges, but he is the highest ranking to be convicted.

Gov. Cuomo and the current Assembly and Senate leadership have argued that existing laws are good enough. (Anthony DelMundo/New York Daily News)

So far, Albany's political leadership has been whistling past the political graveyard, hoping that this court case would simply go away. Gov. Cuomo and the current Assembly and Senate leadership have argued that existing laws are good enough.

But with the conviction of the Assembly speaker, the conviction of the former deputy Senate majority leader and the ongoing court proceedings against the former Senate majority leader, the governor can no longer hope, if he ever did, that the public demand for action will melt away.

In order for Albany to take action, the governor must convene a special legislative session devoted to ethics. Fully 90% of New Yorkers believe that Albany's ethics laws are too weak.

It is far harder to ignore reforms under the withering glare of focused public attention. The governor must act — and do so this month.

Here are three immediate steps to begin to rebuild trust in Albany:

1. Lawmakers' outside income must be limited. A consistent pattern from the convictions against sitting lawmakers has been their use of public office for private gain. The vast majority of legislators either do not have outside jobs, or have ones that pay very little. It's a small minority that has too often gotten into legal trouble. The Congress has significant limits on outside income. Albany should too.

2. Close the LLC loophole. While corporations are limited to donating $5,000 a year to any given candidate, a particular kind of business called a limited liability companies can give more than $60,000 at a clip. As a result, they have become a honey pot of political money for candidates. LLCs, set up essentially as shell corporations, are often used by wealthy real-estate developers who show up frequently in Albany's wheeling and dealing; large LLC contributors were key witnesses in the Silver case and are part of the ongoing proceedings against the former Senate Majority Leader. New York should treat LLCs like other businesses for the purposes of campaign contributions.

3. Overhaul the state ethics watchdogs. New Yorkers spend millions of dollars for state ethics watchdogs, yet it has consistently been federal prosecutors who have brought justice to Albany. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara shouldn't have to be the Sheriff of Albany; New Yorkers should get their money's worth out of state agencies tasked with doing the job.

A recent review of the state's ethics watchdogs identified key weaknesses that made them unwieldy and too secretive. Moreover, a recent national survey of states' ethics laws gave New York an "F" when it examined the New York's ethics enforcement agencies.

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Of course, much more will need to be done to make Albany the nation's leader in ethics, not its punch line. But by swiftly taking at three steps, New Yorkers could begin to regain confidence that the governor and the Legislature have the guts to clean up Albany. It starts with a special session. Your move, Mr. Governor.

Horner is executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group